Ascended - Les Eveillés

The Ascended is a worldbuilding project based in a world similar to ours but where humans can ascend to godhood. Through a series of stages, humans can grow closer and closer to the gods till they become one themselves. Those that reach that stage are often driven by an ideology that pushes them to their limits till they surpass them. At each step, their body and mind changes giving them the power to influence mater and thus the environment but also the spirit of others. Self-governed cities are built around those ascended by those that adhere to their ideology and seek their protections.

Here we'll follow the Ascended of chivalry and the city they reign upon ; Isabel.

Isabelle - City of Chivalry

Isabel is a monarchy born from the devotion of a knight to the unifying queen of the people: Isabella. Once, The Knight ascended works towards making Isabella and her descendants the undisputed ruler of the city. The Knight assures the monarchy. Even though, The Knight is Isabel's Ascended, they're not its ruler in contrast to the other cities of this world. The ruler legislates and judges while the Ascended executes. The influences of The Knight is strong but ultimately it is the ruler that will dictate the era to come.

The Knight

The Knight or the Chivalry Ascended is the protector or the kingdom of Isabel. The Knight supported several generations of queens and kings since their ascension during Isabella's coronation.

The knight and Isabella where childhood friends before she became the founding queen of and before the knight had become her righthand women. They fought together to unify the kingdom that was at the time suffering from internal conflicts and was not under the protection of an Ascended. During the battles, the knight felt her strength grow so that she could better serve Isabella. She began what's an intermediary being, a being still human but that is getting closer and closer to godhood. She wore the symbol of the white dove of freedom , purity, kindness and love. Nevertheless, Isabelle was the guiding , strategic and political force of this duo. She was the main reason of the devotion of the knight.

The dove concept sketch

The dove - the knight's intermediate phase

The dove - color tests

The Knight concept sketch

Isabella and The Knight

Isabella is also known as the white peacock of the realm, she symbolizes strength, power and divinity. Although, you could think of her more as a swan with her mysterious aura, her luminous appearance and her white dress that often hid a sharp long saber.

It was hard to know which arbored the more devine presence between her and her Ascended. More than a partnership, those two shared a life together.

After a series of political agreements, Isabella agreed to marry someone else during her coronation day. It was at this moment that the knight ascended and adorn themselves of a black peacock armor and a dark veil to mourn the loss of their beloved and to remind them of the white veil that couldn't wear that day.

In contrast to the rest of their clothes, The Knight straight long sword remained white just as its homologue, Isabella's long croissant saber.

The Knight Ascended character design

The Knight and Isabelle have been created to be the foil to one another. You can feel it through their designs. After, the knight ascended they adorned a peacock armor to symbolize their complete devotion to Isabella's cause and lost the colors of the white dove. Isabella is now the one wearing white and The Knight is the one dressed in black. The knight gave up their peace, their liberty and their love. Their clothes are now majestic, even divine to reflect their new status as an Ascended.

Isabel's castle

Isabel's castle is the heart of its city. It overlooks it from its heigh tower and mountain on which it resides and that blends in. Several rooms rows of stairs are forged on this mountain. It is made of the metal as the Ascended black armor but it is also made of many precious minerals and diamonds that reminds its people of the mines that make the biggest part of the countries wealth.

The mountain is itself surrounded by big cascades that make her seem even more impressive and impenetrable. A single bridge connects the castle and the administration of Isabel.

The castle is separated in three parts. The highest tower is the tower of The Knight, the second highest one is the residence of Isabella and of the following king and queens but there are also other more discreet buildings dedicated to the castle's employees.

This castle represents the monarchy's power at its peak but also Isabel and The Knight themselves. We can see a great deal of Art Nouveau inspiration in its design.